The formative book in my teacher training was Teach Like a
Champion by Doug Lemov, containing a wide range of techniques to implement to
maximise pupil learning. I have re-read parts of it this week to consider what techniques
I either do not use or do not use consistently or not.
As a trainee teacher, I tried to focus on 2 things at any
one time to ensure my working memory was not overloaded in the classroom trying
to do too much. In my NQT year I then tried to focus on 3 things and now I am
going to look at 4 techniques that I want to practice until they become a habit
in the first term back:
Culture of Error
I do have pupils volunteering answers in my class but there
has been a slightly ‘over-competitiveness’ in some classes. I have tried to
clamp down on pupils sniggering when a pupil gets an answer wrong or tries to whisper
an answer to assist a peer who is struggling. I want to create a culture where
mistakes are an opportunity to improve and pupils feel more confident about
answering and opening themselves up to potentially getting something wrong.
In order to do this, I am going to ensure that I am clearer
in my expectations at the beginning of the academic year that there is
absolutely no comments about another’s answer so that there is an environment
where pupils can ‘have a go.’ Similarly, I am going to explicitly praise pupils
who ask questions to show that being uncertain is welcome. Finally, I am going
to ensure I praise pupils progressing more rather than just excellent answers
to show that pupils can get better and a mistake is not a sign of failure.
No Opt-Out
Linked to this, I still struggle with some pupils replying ‘I
don’t know’ to some answers. I’m never certain if the are being lazy, lack
confidence to speak in front of the class or genuinely do not know. As well as
the points raised above to create a culture of error, I am aiming to be more
thorough in returning to the original pupil to repeat a correct answer either I
or another pupil has given.
This is both to ensure they practice saying the correct
answer but also, so they see saying ‘I don’t know’ is not going to be a way of
avoiding attention or having to think. I currently do this sometimes, but I am
liable to forget this in the middle of a busy lesson. Another technique I want
to try to improve this is to ask the original pupil (who said I do not know) a
further related question to see if they now truly understand the concept.
Stretch-It
Often, I will script questions that I intend to ask pupils.
These are some to ensure engagement during an explanation, some to ensure
pupils understand the content, some focusing on core misconceptions to ensure
that these have been avoided and some to ensure that pupils are thinking hard
about a topic.
One downside to this though is that I can be a bit
inflexible in the classroom and I want to incorporate stretch-it more where I
reward a right answer with a more challenging question to stretch pupils. This
is linked to ‘right is right’ where pupils are expected to get an answer 100%
correct and expectations of academic excellence.
I’ve blogged before about types of questions to make pupils
think hard and this will include comparing concepts to previously learned
material, asking pupils to upgrade their answer with better terminology and to
explain why their answer is correct. The aim is to ensure pupils are thinking
hard and to create a culture where there is constant learning and nobody can
rest on their laurels.
Call and Response
I have never attempted choral chanting of answers from my
pupils before. I teach a subject with a lot of terminology so there is ample
opportunity for pupils to repeat terms back to me. The idea would be if they
practice saying it then they are more comfortable using these terms in their
answers. It can also build engagement and positive energy in the room.
I also want to use these in answering a question. So, I
might ask pupils for a definition or a formula (‘what is the formula for price
elasticity of demand?’) and then ask pupils to chant it back to me. I am slightly
apprehensive about this leading to increased rowdiness in the class so I will
need to ensure I model clear routines for how this will work.